IU East pursuing plans for Health and Wellness Center

Indiana University has included a $17.5 million request for a Health and Wellness Center on the campus of Indiana University East in its 2009-11 capital appropriations request that will be submitted to the General Assembly later this year. The capital appropriations request has been approved by the IU Board of Trustees.

Indiana University is proposing construction of a 73,000 gross square foot Health and Wellness Center at IU East to support programming in intercollegiate athletics, health and wellness, physical education, recreation, and other student events.

The facility would be jointly used by Indiana University East and Ivy Tech Community College Richmond, serving a total of 6,000 students.

“We have partnered in new ways with Ivy Tech and created a new model for higher education in the state,” said interim chancellor Nasser H. Paydar. “This facility is evidence of even greater collaboration and efficiencies for our institutions and the community.”

James L. Steck, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Richmond, said the facility would be a benefit to both institutions.

“With record-level enrollments this fall at both Ivy Tech Community College Richmond and IU East, the total student enrollment on the joint Richmond campus has grown to an all-time record high,” Steck said. “And with Ivy Tech’s current focus on enhancing extracurricular student life opportunities, the significantly expanded transfer opportunities for students now in place, and a rapidly growing number of Ivy Tech graduates pursuing their bachelor’s degrees at IU East, this proposed Health and Wellness Center would greatly benefit the students of both institutions and the community.”

The Health and Wellness Center would serve as the home for IU East’s new intercollegiate athletic programs. IU East launched athletics in 2007 and joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Red Wolves now compete in six sports, including women’s volleyball and men’s basketball, and future sports could be added with an on-campus facility.

“IU East is a growing rapidly, and we have made many changes that have significantly increased the level of education and services we provide to the region,” Paydar said. “We are now a full-fledged bachelor’s and master’s degree institution, and a facility like this is important to our new mission, as it would have a transformative impact on campus life.”

Paydar also discussed the community impact of the proposed facility.

“The partnership among IU East, Ivy Tech, Reid Hospital, the YMCA, and Friends Fellowship is a strong one,” Paydar said. “As a result, we will have complementary facilities that will greatly enhance our area of the city, providing opportunities for students, the community, and beyond.”